<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<meta charset="UTF-8">
<title>[Un]Subtle Signs by never_fully_lucid</title>
<style type="text/css">

body { background-color: #ffffff; }
.CI {
text-align:center;
margin-top:0px;
margin-bottom:0px;
padding:0px;
}
.center   {text-align: center;}
.cover    {text-align: center;}
.full     {width: 100%; }
.quarter  {width: 25%; }
.smcap    {font-variant: small-caps;}
.u        {text-decoration: underline;}
.bold     {font-weight: bold;}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26842831">[Un]Subtle Signs</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/never_fully_lucid/pseuds/never_fully_lucid'>never_fully_lucid</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Community (TV)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Abed gives the best hugs, And smells like comfort and home, Blushing, Confrontations, F/M, Fluff, Gender-Neutral Pronouns, Holding Hands, I'm dying on this hill, Love Confessions, M/M, No Y/N used, Other</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-10-05</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-10-05</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 13:07:39</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,370</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/26842831</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/never_fully_lucid/pseuds/never_fully_lucid</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>You’re caught off guard when the boy you’ve been [not so] sneakily admiring just straight up asks you about your feelings. No Y/N used.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Abed Nadir/Reader</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>19</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>72</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>[Un]Subtle Signs</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    
<p></p><div class="">
  <p><em>“Do you like me?”</em>  </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>The words seem to echo in the silence of the empty street, and it takes you a few seconds to process the loaded question. How you’d gone from discussing the quality of visual effects in <em>Inspector Spacetime </em>to Abed dropping this fucking conversational bomb was a mystery. The two of you had offered to buy Troy some medicine for his current cold, and had been making your way back to their apartment while casually discussing the show. Seemingly out of nowhere he’d popped the question, in the same tone you’d use to discuss the weather, and now you’re stuck waiting for your brain to stop making fax machine noises.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Once your brain has sufficiently rebooted, you realize that you’ve stopped walking and take a few strides to make up for the distance between you. Abed- now also standing still- is looking at you expectantly, clearly awaiting some form of reaction.  </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Deciding to tread cautiously, you respond, making sure to keep your tone light-hearted,</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Of course I do, Abed. I consider us good friends.”  </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p><em>Friends</em>, you repeat to yourself. <em>Just friends.</em></p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Instead of taking your answer at face value and resuming the trek, Abed studies you. You hope that the one theater class you took when you were twelve is paying off right now. As his silence stretches for a beat too long, you feel yourself growing a little flustered and more than a little stressed.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Could he know how you feel about him? You’d been so careful! Taking care not to stare at him for too long during study sessions, making sure not to ask him too many personal questions despite wanting to know him better. After all, you didn’t want to make him feel uncomfortable around you; you’ve been known to come on a bit too strong in order to compensate for your own awkwardness.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Finally, he speaks up;</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“I know that we’re good friends. But that isn’t the kind of “like” that I’m referring to, and I think you know that.” he says, and your stomach sinks a little, blood rushing to your face.  </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>
    <em>Shitshitshit! He knows! Or at the very least, suspects!!</em>
  </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Hah- hah” you laugh weakly, meaning for it to sound lighthearted but coming out slightly choked off. Alarm bells ring in your head and you scramble to do as much damage control as possible, your brain working on overdrive trying to salvage your cover. For all you know this could cost you your friendship with the boy in front of you.  </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Not that you’re not a good-looking great guy,” <em>great start, real smooth</em>, “but can I ask why you’re asking me of all people?” you manage to pull off a small perplexed smile as you speak, which proves hard to do under his intense stare.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Without a pause, Abed launches into his seemingly prepared explanation:</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“I'm a perceptive person- I observe those in my close circles, and we’re around each other pretty often. I know that you look at me more than you look at others in the group. At first I simply accredited that to our placement at the table, but there were other signs.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>
    <em>Uh oh.  </em>
  </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>He continues;</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“When our eyes meet, you look away and usually flush shortly after. You smile a lot when I’m talking, even if it’s about references that you don’t get. You try to be open about your feelings when we talk so that I don’t have to decipher what you really mean. You look at me the way that you were looking at me minutes ago: your eyes crinkle at the edges, you lean forward; your lips curl slightly upwards- you look... ‘soft.’”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>
    <em>Nonono.  </em>
  </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Your heart is racing. Palms sweaty. Knees weak. Arms heavy- you know; the whole shebang.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Plus, on the rare occasion that I wear tank tops, I can basically feel you burning a hole into me with your sta-”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“<em>I get it</em>!” you interject, cutting him off rather abruptly. You’d been rapidly growing redder throughout his speech, and by this point you’re sure that all the blood in your body has flooded to your face. You wonder if you could faint to avoid this conversation, and you contemplate holding your breath to better those chances.. </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Oh well.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>A sigh escapes your mouth. “I thought I’d been so sneaky,” you admit a little dejectedly. There’s no point in trying to deny it now, not after all the surprisingly detailed examples that clearly pointed out your infatuation. Abed’s brows raise, a little surprised to see you acknowledge it so quickly.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“You did your best, and I don’t think the others know,” he points out, seemingly to offer some consolation.  </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>His words don’t make what you need to say next any less painful, but you know you have to put your feelings aside:</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“I’m really sorry if my attention made you uncomfortable. Our friendship is really important to me, not just on the basis of being study-group friends. To be honest, ever since the whole trying-to-set-you-up scenario, I was nervous to ask if you were open to dating, let alone admit my growing feelings and ruin our friendship,” your palms are sticky with sweat, so you wipe them on your shirt.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“I really did try to ignore them. My feelings, I mean. Regardless, I really hope that this doesn’t affect our relationship, and I’m willing to just forget that this talk ever happened, and I promise I’ll try to stop reacting to you the way I d-”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Don’t.”  </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>This time it’s Abed who cuts you off, which has you blinking up in surprise at him. Which part does he not want you to do? Before you can ask, he continues,</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Don’t pretend this didn’t happen. And don’t try to change the way you act around me.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Your eyes widen a little as his gaze moves away from your face, almost self-consciously. A flicker of hope ignites in your chest, and with baited breath, you ask:</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Why not?”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Abed takes a small step towards you, still looking away. </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Because we share similar interests. Because you always try to think of others, even when being scatterbrained. Because you find happiness in the small things in life. Because I like spending time with you. I’m drawn to you in the same way that you’re drawn to me.” He’s looking at you again, that intense gaze directed at you, with a small smile gracing his lips.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Your flicker of hope is now a burning flame that’s spread throughout your body, and you can feel your mouth stretching into an ear splitting grin. Almost in a dream-like state, you take a small step towards him, looking for any sign that he doesn’t want you so intimately close. Seeing none, you proceed to wrap your arms around his waist, and lean your head into his chest. He smells like soap and some kind of laundry detergent, mixed with a scent that’s just uniquely <em>him</em>. As he returns the embrace, wrapping his larger arms around your frame, a strong sense of comfort washes over you; a feeling you didn’t know you were longing for so strongly prior to this very moment.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>The two of you stay standing in the middle of the street, simply basking in your newfound closeness, until the moment is punctured by a deep growl coming from Abed’s stomach, making you giggle against his chest and unwind your arms from his torso. </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“We should get back to Troy, he’ll get mad if we leave him starving,” you suggest, voice hushed due to the lack of space between the two of you. Before you can move to step back in order to walk beside him, Abed reaches out and takes your hand, studying your reaction. Your grin returns tenfold, grateful that he’s considerate of your response, and you lace your fingers through his larger ones, pulling him in the direction of his and Troy’s street. </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>You know there are still things left to discuss, feelings left to share; maybe friends left to tell, but right now the warmth of his palm against yours is your primary focus, as you walk hand in hand down the empty street, debating the special effects budget of your favourite <em>Inspector Spacetime </em>episodes. </p>
</div>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>A/N: This is my first fic in a while, so I’m a little nervous posting it,,,  If anyone actually sees this, I’d love some feedback / criticism- my knowledge of appropriate tenses, character writing, and all syntax went out the window. </p><p>[I struggle with expressing physical contact, which is why there’s a lot of making sure that both parties are comfortable with what’s happening!] </p><p>Abed deserves all the love 🥺</p><p>Come yell with me about Abed on my tumblr @never-fully-lucid</p></blockquote></div></div>
</body>
</html>